It's not racist to want to have proper debate on immigration, says Ukip's Nigel Farage

THANKS to Ukip's recent rise, everyone now seems to be talking about having a sensible immigration debate. But are we really having one?

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During a webchat on 'European Citizenship' one of the EU Commission Vice Presidents, Viviane Reding, said: "The UK has pushed to the agenda, probably in order not to make people speak about the real subjects in the UK…this supposed invasion of foreigners coming to the UK and stealing the jobs and stealing the social security and the health money."

It's widely known that the EU commission is massively in support of free movement of people.

They want a single European identity, wiping out the centuries of history and tradition that makes Europe such a diverse and hugely interesting continent.

But it’s not cut and dry that open door immigration is of economic benefit to everyone in this country.

Reports undertaken by academics showing net positives from open door European immigration have been ripped apart. When analysing everything through the prism of national economic output, or GDP, major factors such as the cost of schooling, healthcare and law enforcement and the pressures on infrastructure and housing are simply brushed aside.

It is the weak, Europhile politicians in Westminster and the EU institutions who are destroying the future for our people

Nigel Farage

We read about the struggle parents around the country face in finding primary school places.

We also know about the huge shortage of housing seeing many new-builds on green belt land and flood plains.

Mrs Reding is wrong to say it is the Government pushing this debate.

The Government and the Opposition have done everything they can to prevent an open debate on immigration, as indeed they do over our membership of the European Union. Ukip is the only party to have made it a talking point.

Meanwhile the political class and Left Wing media stumble around for a position trying to disguise the fact they are trying to close the gate after the horse has bolted by calling everyone who wants proper debate on immigration “a racist”.

Mrs Reding also said that “the GDP of Britain rose by 3-4 per cent because of the input of these working Europeans who come to Great Britain."

Perhaps that may be so, but what does this really mean? What about the social impact?

Big business loves the huge demand on low paid jobs by over-qualified people. It means that the minimum wage has become average wage for blue-collar jobs.

The OECD report published recently argues that the economic worth of immigration does not take into consideration “the cost for public purse” and that any benefit of immigration tends to be very small in terms of GDP, while immigrant households contribute on average less in terms of taxes.

We know from the debate on the euro that economic reality is not the strong point of a European Commission that has overseen millions of young people lose their jobs or lose the hope of getting a job for years.

Recently, the Prince's Trust published a report with the horrific statistic that three quarters of a million young people in Britain feel they have nothing to live for and almost a third of young unemployed suffer from mental health problems.

Politicians like Mrs Reding and our Westminster leaders should hang their heads in shame.

It is the weak, Europhile politicians in Westminster and the EU institutions that are destroying the future for our people.

I will be dispelling myths in the run up to the European elections such as the idea that we need the EU for growth and jobs or that our future lies in Fortress Europe.

Our future lies in making our own rules.

Not in the skewed vision of Eurocrats who most Britons couldn't even name.